


Tell-Tail

by United_Nation_of_Roses



Category: Internet Personalities, cryaotic
Genre: Experimentation, F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, M/M, Merman Snake, Work In Progress, snund - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 02:59:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1013268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/United_Nation_of_Roses/pseuds/United_Nation_of_Roses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being caught in a net trying to drive away a fishing boat from his colony, Snake is sent crashing into a world of white walls and jackets. Sick of having samples and swabs taken from him, he begins a long string of attempts to free himself from this prison.</p>
<p>Scott, working at the labs for his summer job, finds himself taking great interest in the aquarium's new arrival. Perhaps a lot more than he initially expected.</p>
<p>But with the threat of Snake's permanent captivity at the aquarium and the memory of his brothers and sisters drifting further away, can Scott help Snake return to his home? Or will he let his affections cloud his better judgement?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Snake

His first trip to the surface was on the eve of his two hundredth complete moon.  
He remembers it well, remembers the rhythmic pulse of the water lapping at the sand, it was warm to the touch as he buried his fingers into the soft grains that slipped through them like silk. He remembers the soft hum of the night when he first rose above the water’s surface, and drew in his first breath outside of his watery abode. He remembers the coldness that flood through him, sharp and uncomfortable against his throat. And he remembers the calloused and sand-crusted hands that welcomed his own, and pulled him up onto land.  
That night – when the breeze first blew through him, and the bejewelled sky winked down upon the nestled cove, where shadowed beings clustered together for warmth and security – Snake felt truly at home.

It had been almost a hundred complete moons since then; and Snake was no longer a nestling as he was on that night. He’d been on land a few times after then of course, but the first time is always something the Aequorii hold close to them.  
Sights, smells, everything was different and new, ready to be explored. He used to dream about the next time he would breach the surface, where he would go, and what he would do.  
Contrary to popular belief, merfolk aren’t entirely ignorant to the presence of the human race – or Biporii, meaning ‘flat-feet’, as they are more commonly referred to in the colony. Snake was no less naïve than his brothers and sisters to the dangers the human’s land could bring to them – and even the humans themselves if they weren’t careful.

Despite that he wanted to enjoy his time on land to the fullest and experience all that he could within the short time that he had.  
The Aequorii have a saying, which roughly translates to, “Praise what is given, when given. What can be given can be taken.” Snake was too young to truly understand what that meant.

He was pulled out of his reminiscence by a sharp prod at his side. Turning his head his eyes met with a young female, perhaps the same age as him. She squinted at him, studying his face intently.  
“Yes?” He asked with a slight edge to his voice, he was embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming on the job.  
After a few moments, she turned away, motioning above her to the shoal of fish darting above them. Snake gripped his dagger tightly, taking care to avoid the serrated edges of the tooth-like blade.  
He felt a hand on his chest, holding him back until the opportune moment. She wanted to take as much food back for the colony as she could, Snake would have only scattered them if he moved and made that harder. He was the fastest swimmer she could have even hoped to be paired with without a doubt; and a no-nonsense, straight talking kind of guy.  
“Alright, so we box them in. You go to the left, and I’ll go right. Sound good?” She drew out her own sharpened stone from her makeshift holster, poising for the right moment to strike.  
Snake drew out a slow breath, his fans flattening on his tail and back as he waited for her signal.

“Now..!”

As the both darted forwards, a great and unnatural wave of vibration shook the waters. The fish panicked, swimming out in all manner of directions past the two shock-still hunters.  
Another vibration hit, this time carrying the loud blare of a horn. They both knew where the beastly noise came from.  
“Damn Flat-feet and their machines!” The female snarled, adjusting the fans on her ears to pick up the ship’s location.  
“This is the plentiful season for them as well as us, Red, we have to be careful.”  
She clenched her fists, shoving the dagger back in her holster, “Its always a plentiful season for them, Snake! All they do is take from these waters, drain _our_ food supply to feed _their_ ever growing masses!”  
She took off after that, tail whipping behind her as she swam back down into the familiar depths. Snake followed after, soon catching up to her retreating form, “You would rather they knew about us?” he asked, a dry sounding laugh resonating through the water as they both sped towards the colony, unhappy to be returning empty-handed for the third night in a row.

“No,” Red sighed, coming to a stop just outside of the colony’s perimeter, “That would surely be a lot worse for our kind…” She left soon after with a small wave, most likely heading towards the nesting groves for some well-needed rest. He was tempted to go as well, but found himself caught on that strange notion. If humans ever found them…yes, that would be a disaster, he agreed silently.


	2. First Day - Scott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Scott's first day at his summer job and already his morning was 12 kinds of awful.  
> At least the guy he'll be working with is nice enough.  
> After all, anyone's better than that slimy-suited wretch he calls his boss.

He was going to be late, fucking late on his first day. It was the perfect start to his already shitty morning; first the pipes in his shower jamming again and forcing him to spend an extra ten minutes trying to wash up with the _barest_ amount of water trickling from the shower head, then god forbid if he forgot to unload his washing machine last night like he was supposed to have done, well that would have just added another 30 or so minutes to his already pleasant train wreck of a morning.  
Spoiler alert, he _did_ forget. And so, with his alarm ringing left right and centre reminding him that he should already be out the door and backed out of the drive by now, instead of hopping around in his kitchen pulling on one sock after the other as he waited for the dryer to finish it’s cycle.

Finally after his slow-ass machine dinged, he yanked the door open and began shucking on his newly dried clothes in a hurried frenzy.  
“Keys, keys…” He mumbled to himself, stuffing the remaining clothes back into the dryer and closing the door with his foot. He’d unload it later, right now he needed to hurry the fuck up and get going. He slipped out of the kitchen, spotting his car keys on the side-table near his couch and quickly moving to grab them – almost toppling the picture frame sitting comfortable next to them.  
“Close one,” he sighed, setting the image straight again and only sparing a moments glace at the smiling faces in the photo before heading to the front door and pulling on his jacket and shoes. He tapped his pockets, counting off each of the items he should have had in his possession; keys, phone, wallet…surely that was all he needed.

He was about to pull out of the drive when the ring of his cell caught his attention. He flipped it up, not bothering to check the contact as he was reversing, and answering it with an unconvincingly cheery “Scott here,” before he was barrelled over by an onslaught of verbal abuse. He started, yanking the phone away from his ear. “Dad, chill!” He exclaimed, holding the phone a little closer but not enough to completely deafen him as his father berated him over the receiver.  
“I’m on my way now!”  
…  
“I know Dad”  
…  
“I said I know, Jesus Christ!”  
The conversation went on like that for a few blocks, Scott rolling his eyes for about the fifth time at the same argument they’ve been having for months. He was tired of it, always the same spiel over and over; _‘Get off your lazy ass and get another job’_ , _‘What are you going to do when those dreams of yours blow up in your face?’_ , _‘We can’t keep paying for you Scott, you made the decision to move out’._

Maybe he wouldn’t be so bitter about it if the guy weren’t so ‘in his face’ about the subject, but having the same shit drilled like a mantra into his head every time they spoke was driving him nuts. It wasn’t like it was his fault he lost his job, it wasn’t like he could have seen that it was going to happen, it wasn’t like he could have done something more to-  
He’s starting to sound like Cry.  
That was all his friend would ever say to him after it, and he couldn’t have been more thankful and annoyed for his presence at the same time.  
He gritted his teeth, the droning sound of his father’s voice drifting into background static as Scott found the memories flooding back to him like raging water.  
No- no, he couldn’t let himself fall back into this, today was meant to be different, it was his fresh start, and he damn well wasn’t going to let the past swallow him up again.  
How he’d managed to drive throughout the lecture was a miracle, he thought as his grip on the wheel and his phone tightened, his father still rattling on in a distant part of his consciousness.  
At least now he could cross one off of that list anyway, he got a summer job at the aquarium his uncle worked at – nothing much but it might just get his dad off of his back for awhile.  
“Listen Dad I’m driving right now so I’ll call you back later.” With that he ended the call and threw the cell onto the passengers seat with a groan and gave the road his full attention.

It was about a 20-minute drive to the aquarium, and that was driving as fast as he could whilst avoiding getting pulled over. Thankfully his luck wasn’t at an all time low, so the drive was comfortable and relatively quick. He pulled up to the security barrier, flashing his identity card to the guard on post for him to raise it and allow him entry. He’d always thought it was unusually fortified for just an aquarium, but his uncle had informed him that it doubled up as a research centre so he guess that made more sense.  
The large dome structure loomed over the site, casting brilliant blue rays onto the dull tarmac with its tinted panes. The dome sat atop a lengthy structure, rectangular if it wasn’t for it’s rounder edges. The building housed most of the indoor aquariums, and was open to patrons from the north side. Directly behind it were various other structures, Scott managed to catch a glimpse of the Stadium as he drove closer before the dome overshadowed it completely. Fucking hell that thing was big.

He pulled into one of the employee parking spaces, he did technically work here after all, and jumped out, locking his car twice to be sure. It was a habit he’d picked up after the incident, the same one that put him out of work in the first place.  
He looked around, trying to spot a familiar face. His uncle wouldn’t be there to greet him that day; he worked on the opposite side of the park where the shows took place, but he informed Scott that Mr Colemn would meet him instead.  
Mr Colemn was his employer; some big shot with slicked back hair and an even slicker personality. Scott had met him the other day about a job interview; it had gone pretty well considering he felt as though he was being scrutinized by the man’s intimidating glare after every answer.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and leant back against his car, his boss nowhere in sight. Glancing around, he saw few people, most were probably already inside and beginning their shifts, the remaining seemed to be loading crates onto forklifts and wheeled platforms. He couldn’t make out what the print on the wooden boxes read, but judging by the amount of time and care they spent loading each crate he could only assume their contents were fragile.  
It wasn’t exactly the most exciting thing to watch, but it was about the only thing of interest unless he wanted to stare at some gulls pecking at trash on the other side of the wire fence – which gave the site a wonderfully imprisoning ambiance – he thought to himself, sarcasm still ever present within his mind.

Scott was just about fed up with watching the endless cycle of crate shifting, when a tap on his shoulder startled him. He whipped around, expecting to see the tall and dark frame of his boss’ suited frame and give the bastard a piece of his mind, _he_ wasn’t even the one late as he’d presumed earlier. Instead of his boss however there stood a young man before him, perhaps his age or older, in a white lab coat that sat comfortably over a faded grey t-shirt. The man smiled at him, pushing the black-rimmed glasses up his nose, “Mr Jund I’m guessing?” he asked as he held a hand out, to which Scott shook politely. “Yeah that’s me,” Scott responded slowly, “Sorry man I had a rough morning, I was told Mr Colemn was going to be the one to meet me…?”  
The man offered him a slanted but understanding grin, Scott assumed he’d had a similar morning judging by his awkwardly ruffled brown hair. His grin faded slightly at the mention of his – well, their boss technically, but he was still friendly none the less.  
“Yeah, I called him earlier about meeting you - said he had some business to take care of and asked if I could go alone. I can take you to his office later once ya get settled in, sound good?”  
Scott nodded, following behind the man as he turned to leave. “I’m Russ by the way – Russ Money. Strange I know.” The man – Russ – laughed, glancing over as they walked to the back entrance, “Scott.” He replied, chuckling slightly.  
“Well then Scott, first things first, you got your identity card?” Russ said after they reached a set of glass double doors.  
Scott nodded, flashing it from his jacket’s pocket. “Good,” Russ fished another card from his lab coat, “this is your key card; it’ll get you into the east side and down to where the labs are. Give it a try on the entrance.” He took the card and scanned it, watching the doors open inwards. “That is…unnecessarily complicated.” Russ rolled his eyes, “Tell me about it.”

They continued on their walk, through the doors and down a set of halls Scott tried hard to memorise for the next day. They chatted all the way there, Russ wanting to know more about why he’d decided to take on a summer job. Scott kept it as brief as possible, not wanted to delve further into his reasoning for unemployment, but he did mention his uncle’s position.

“Ah, I worked over on the north side when I first got here, it was nice getting a behind the scenes look on how the shows were run, but I never got to work with the animals directly until now. Did Mr Colemn ever discuss what you’ll actually being doing here?”

“Not really, I just got a call from my uncle confirming my position, I thought he would fill me in but it turned out he didn’t really know either…”

“Well then,” they arrived at an elevator – Russ pushing the call button and turning to him. “you signed the form right?”  
He nodded as the doors slid open and they stepped inside. Apparently this place was a lot further underground than Scott had previously guessed, he counted a total of four extra floors beneath them and two above. Third floor down, that was their destination.  
“I suppose I should start of with my role here; I oversee the management of the tank environments and help tailor them to suit their individual habitants, which usually entails checking the salt consistency and temperatures of the water. However as you’ve probably noticed there are preparations underway for a new tank – a large one.”  
“Is that what all those crates were for?”  
“Uh huh, we’re expecting a new arrival soon and I need to be on hand to study it before we can move it to the bigger tank.”

The elevator dinged, and they exited into another set of hallways, Scott was beginning to think he was descending deeper and deeper into a maze. “That’s where I come in, right?”  
Russ snapped his fingers, grinning as he scanned his card and they entered a much wider room.  
Each side was lined with tanks, ranging from size and shape, all filled with darting shoals of fish, and each tank was equipped with some sort of linked filtering system and a step ladder.  
“Bingo. See, I’ll need someone to maintain all of these tanks, when I’m preoccupied with our new addition.”  
Scott surveyed his surroundings, sure there were a lot of tanks but it shouldn’t be too hard, he mused to himself.  
“For now though, you’ll work alongside me so you can get the hang of things beforehand. That’s your main job, you may be asked to handle feeding some of the main exhibit’s tanks, it’s a little hectic at the minute with all of the staff reshuffling.”

“This creature must be pretty important to be getting all of this attention.” Scott thought it better not to ask what the thing actually _was_. He’d of course noticed Russ choosing his words extremely carefully, and yet Scott could sense he was struggling, as if the information would come exploding out of him at any second if he didn’t keep his mouth in check. Scott was smart enough not to broach the subject yes, but he couldn’t help the aching curiosity that came as naturally to him as breathing.  
The small glint that flashed in his eyes had Scott even more confused, “You could say that.” Russ smirked, pushing up his glasses and turning to exit, he beckoned Scott to follow after him, “C’mon Jund, lets get you your new uniform.”  
Scott grinned and strode faster to catch up with his retreating form. He finally felt at ease, back in his comfort zone and already thriving, confident and self-assured. His horizon felt brighter than it had been for a long time.


	3. Famine - Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was growing restless, the human's fishing boats had remained dangerously close to his colony, and were only coming nearer by the day. Their presence alone is disrupting the colony's native food supply, and unless Snake can find away to get rid of them, they face starvation as the winter months approach.

Two weeks passed and the ships hadn’t left Aequorii territory. Tensions were running high in the colony and Snake had been spending most of his time on the hunt for the barest scraps left over as the plentiful season came to an end. Not so plentiful for _his_ kind this year, so it seemed.

“ _Our reserves will last us through until next spring; there is no need to panic._ ” Solidus liked to constantly remind them, but his brother could never really hide anything from Snake. He’d seen the reserve; it was a small underwater nesting grove where shoals of fish had gathered and settled over the many generations his people had been present in these waters. It was usually carefully monitored, predators being kept at bay, population being observed, and yet with their dwindling food supply, more patrols were forced into the deeper parts of the ocean, and thus further drained the reserve. It was a vicious cycle, and even though Snake couldn’t blame his brother for trying to inspire hope into their brethren, they needed to understand the bitter reality of the situation.

If the humans didn’t leave soon, the colony wouldn’t last until winter.

“Solidus listen to me, they need to be told.” Snake pleaded to him, one afternoon when spirits seemed at their lowest. “I know what’s happening to us, I am not blind.”  
Solidus fixed him with a cold stare, his greying-blue eye boring into him in a way that can only be described as challenging, and in a brief moment Snake swore he was staring at Liquid instead. The three of them were alike and different in many ways, the argumentative sibling rivalry however did not seem to grow out of Snake’s older brothers.  
“What is it you want me to do Snake?” He leant forwards from where he was perched on a reef like pedestal, brow furrowing as he stared down at his younger sibling and gesturing to the kelp fields that separated them from the rest of their fellow Aequorii, “You want me to proudly announce to our entire colony that our time here may be reaching its end? Are you _mad_?” He raised his voice, slamming his hands down on the rock, clearly growing frustratingly tired of the whole ordeal.  
“Do you have _any_ idea what kind of panic that would instil upon the masses? I have worked tirelessly to ensure order is kept in these dark times, and you want me to up and destroy that layer of trust that they have in us?”  
Snake almost winced, _‘dark times’_ was a pre-historic term for what they were going through, but it was difficult none the less. Solidus flicked his tail irritably, seemingly finished with his outburst and awaiting a reply.

“I understand brother, but we cannot keep that layer of trust if we are lying to th-”

“And what would you do in my situation Snake?”  
Solidus cut him short, his expression mildly curious, but otherwise unreadable. Snake knew what he was doing however; he narrowed his eyes up at him and chose his words carefully before responding.

“I would consult my advisors…then chose the appropriate course of action accordingly. I however, would never be in your position Solidus, I would never have lied to them in the first place.”  
Snake watched as his brother’s face seemed to morph into one of amusement.

“Is that so, little brother? So tell me this, why is it not _you_ sitting in my place at this very moment?”

He’d seen this coming a mile away, and yet his fins still betrayed his resolve and flared out in a borderline threatening presentation. Snake had always been known to hold back his temper, his fellow Aequorii having often tried and failed to evoke a reaction out of him, and yet this topic never ceased to bring about just that.

“Enough of your games, you know exactly why that is.” He turned sharply, breaking eye contact with his brother for the first time since their conversation began, and swam up above the peak of a cluster of rocks. He eyed the vast stretch of sandbanks before him, not even 3 miles away a human vessel was probably draining their food to even scarcer levels, and that made his blood run hot.  
“I’m growing tired of this, Solidus. Why is it our colony that must suffer whilst theirs thrive and breed on the misfortune of whom they’ve forsaken? Where is their penance? Where is the justification in what they do?”  
Solidus heaved a sigh, and Snake could almost imagine him twirling his blade idly between his fingers. “Their morals do not apply to folklore Snake, we are merely another legend for them to dramatized in works of fiction. We aren’t real to them, and that is how it should stay.”

Snake understood, really he did, and yet the circumstances couldn’t help but frustrate him. At first he had been accepting, the ocean was just as much a part of their lives as it was his, it was only right that they could also enjoy the spoils it could offer them. Even so, his patience was wearing to a near breaking point. He beat his tail against the rocks methodically, the vibrations in the water soothing his temper. He was a strategist, it was his duty to protect and serve the colony at all costs, and with the ships coming dangerously closer into their territory, it put their entire livelihood in jeopardy.

Snake would be damned if he let that happen.

“But if they _knew_ , Solidus. If they could only understand wha-”

“They must never know.” His brother cut in quickly, his voice laced with authority. Snake turned his head, seeing that he had indeed got down from his pedestal and was now swimming towards him.  
“I don’t intend for us to reveal ourselves to them,” He reasons with him, casting his eyes back over the oddly still sand dunes. They were once abundant with fish, but it seemed even the crustaceans had gone into hiding, “ I merely wish to…educate them.”

Solidus gave him a once over, his calculating stare searing holes into him. He adjusted the wrap of kelp around his left eye; something Snake had often observed him do when the stress got to him.  
“If you are thinking what I imagine you are at this moment, Snake…”  
His tone was commanding, leaving almost no room for debate on the matter. Though that may work on his soldiers, Snake was a different case entirely.  
“All I would have to do is lead them away from here, their curiosity would get the better of them, it would be too much of an opportunity to pass up,” Enthusiasm in the idea bled through his words, Snake just hoped it would be enough to convince Solidus as well, “We wouldn’t even need many soldiers, I could even do it alone.”

“No, Snake.”

“What? But Solidus, we coul-”

“I have made my decision, what your suggesting is stupid and reckless and I will not hear any more of it.”

He turned to leave, but Snake was insistent. He was sure it would work, the colony wouldn’t have to move, and they wouldn’t starve over the winter months. It was the only viable option he could think of. “Listen to me brother, I-“

“ **Enough!** ” He snapped, pushing Snake back against the rock with a dull thud. “You will not go anywhere near those ships. As your brother and as your superior; **I forbid it.** ” He growled down at him, punctuating each word with a firm poke to the chest. The subject was obviously a lost cause on him; really Snake should have foreseen this kind of reaction. Ever since they lost their father, Solidus had decidedly adopted this parental façade, both himself and Liquid however knew he could never truly live up to their father’s image, none of them could.

“Leave me Snake, I need some time to think.”  
He pulled away and turned his back, swishing his tail in one of his dismissing gestures. Snake straightened his posture and bowed curtly, wasting no further time in darting out of the rocky structure and back towards the kelp fields. His tail batted at the long strands as he swam, taking the time to twist and turn in and out of their weaving forms in some futile attempt to clear his head. Something had to be done, that he was very much aware of, and soon. If that meant directly disobeying his brother’s orders, perhaps that was a risk he would have to chance for the sake of the colony.  
It was approaching late afternoon, the temperature in the water was already beginning to cool after the intense mid-morning rays had warmed them. If he was going to set his plan in motion, he would have to work quickly.

The waters were mostly deserted around him; many of the colony’s residents were still out on the hunt. Scanning briefly through the faces present, he soon spotted who he was looking for.  
Red was lounging on a rock, grinding the edge of her blade onto one of it’s sharp edges, he swiped her with his tail fin as he swam by, nodding towards a more secluded part of their territory when she lifted her head.

“I guessing the talk with your brother went well then.” She said as they reached their destination, sheathing her knife and coming to rest on a nearby rock. Snake grunted in reply, his lip curling up in a distasteful frown.

“He is…difficult to reason with.” He mumbled after some time, flipping up a small stone with his tail and tossing it to her. She caught and returned it with practised ease, often choosing this method to improve co-ordination, “So he’s not going to tell us the truth?”

“He said he needed time but…knowing how set in his ways he is, I doubt I made much of an impact on his way of thinking.”

“And Liquid?”

Snake sighed again, moves becoming sharper as their game sped up, “I’m unaware what his opinion is on the matter, though it doesn’t seem to bother him either way.”

“Sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us, huh?”

“Maybe not,” he kept his eyes on the stone, sparing a glance to meet her curious gaze before catching the rock with his hand as she tossed it back, “If we are to survive here, we need to eliminate the problem before attempting to find a solution. The humans are the problem, they need to be removed, and perhaps then the fish will begin to return.” He rolled the small stone through his fingers, mindful of the sensitive webbing between them. Red’s expression seemed one of confusion, she almost looked shocked at what he was suggesting, but before long a smirk tugged at the corner her lip.

“And I took you for being on their side, Snake.” She did little to contain the smugness that emanated off her in waves, and Snake couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“I was in favour of sharing the waters, what they are doing is _not_ sharing.”  
She shrugged and folded her arms together, “What do you suppose we do then? A mass sinking of their ships?” He glared at her and she laughed, “I’m pulling your tail man, no sinking I swear to you.”  
He grumbled something to himself and smacked the stone away into the distance, various plans and strategies dancing behind his eyes.

“We start tomorrow…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part one of a longer chapter.


End file.
